Escaping Fate: A Story of Redemption
by knightofdestiny
Summary: The life of 17-year-old Leon Masters is anything but great. His sister may be dead, and he may soon be dead himself. He goes to Liberty City to hide out, but fate may have something bigger planned for him. He'll have to be lucky just to survive....
1. Hello Liberty City

Escaping Fate:

A Story of Redemption

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Grand Theft Auto or it's characters. I do own my original characters, though. No use without my permission.

Chapter 1: Hello Liberty City

The sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky over Liberty City as a dark-green Infernus made it's way through the Porter Tunnel and towards Portland. The driver of the vehicle was a young man of about 17 years old. His name was Leon Masters, and he was on a mission. His mission was simply to save his life and get as far away from Cordell City as possible. There were a ton of thoughts going through Leon's mind at once, but he tried his best to focus on where he was going to go. It wasn't the first time he had been to Liberty City, but in his current state of mind, he could barely remember the city's layout. Leon was not one to normally be so afraid of anything, but after what he had done, no one could blame him.

It wasn't his plan to do what he did, but luck just wasn't on his side. His initial plan was to acquire enough money to help out his sister, Violet, who was currently residing in a makeshift dungeon inside the estate of Jerome Waters, leader of the Raven Syndicate, one of the biggest gangs in Cordell City. Leon himself didn't exactly know what had gone down, but apparently, Violet participated in the slaying of Jerome's cousin, Richie, and Jerome ordered her immediate capture. Once he caught her, he thought about killing her, but because he liked Leon, he gave him a chance to save her. All Leon had to do was help some members of the Ravens kill a suspected rat in the Syndicate. Leon, who had killed a number of people and had no qualms about killing another, thought that everything would be cool. Unfortunately, the rat turned out to be one of Leon's closest friends and Leon couldn't bring himself to kill the guy, so instead, he turned his gun upon the Syndicate members to save his friend. This created some bad blood with Jerome, who wanted Leon dead now. Not wanting to be the next victim of the Raven Syndicate's sinister acts, Leon hightailed it out of the city, although he felt bad for leaving Violet like that. Now, he didn't know if she was still alive, or if he would even live much longer. Life was going down the tubes quickly, and Leon knew that unless a miracle happened, there was no way to save it.

Leon exited the tunnel and made his way to the apartment buildings in Hepburn Heights. As he drove, he noticed that not much had changed in the city since his last visit three years ago. At the time, Leon was hearing a lot about some newbie to the city that was making waves. This guy, said to be completely silent no matter what, was supposed to have offed Salvatore Leone, the Don of the Leone family. Leon was rather impressed with the buzz he'd heard, but didn't really follow the story much. Leon started wondering if that guy still lived in the city as he pulled into the newly made parking area for the apartments. Apparently, three years had brought about some change. Leon parked his car in a spot close to the door and got out. He took a moment to inhale the fresh air before walking inside, thinking that his end could come at any time. Taking the stairs didn't appeal to Leon very much, so he got on the elevator instead, riding it up to the third floor. When he stepped out, he began checking the apartment doors for the correct number. After a minute a searching, he found the one he was looking for: number 311. Leon banged on the door madly, hoping that the person he came to see was home. Two minutes passed and no answer. Leon banged again, this time even more forcefully. Another two minutes passed and still no answer. Leon turned around to leave, having given up, when the door finally opened. Standing on the other side was a woman wearing nothing but a pair of blue jeans and a black bra.

"Hey Leon, how's it going?" she asked. "You don't look so good. Something up?"

Leon pushed her aside and entered the room, finding a seat on a slightly beat-up looking sofa.

"So much for manners," the woman said. "What the hell has got you in such a mood?"

Leon took a second to look around the room before answering. He surveyed every inch of the room, seemingly trying to locate something. When he was through, Leon focused his attention on the ceiling, sighing before speaking.

"Life's a bitch, you know that?"


	2. Making Friends

Chapter 2: Making Friends

Leon continued to stare at the ceiling as he racked his brain for what he wanted to say.

"What the hell happened?" the woman asked, sounding worried.

"At this point, I barely know myself," Leon replied. "Carmen, I need your help."

"You know you've got it. What do you need?"

"A place to stay, and some weaponry."

Carmen frowned slightly.

"I can get you some guns, but as for a room, you're on your own."

"I thought you were going to help me!" Leon exclaimed. "You expect me to live out on the streets?"

"Hey, the landlord is getting a real attitude problem. I've been late with the rent several times, and if he finds someone else living here, that's my ass."

Leon let out a low growl, and then followed it up with a disgusted groan as Carmen took off her jeans.

"Carmen, have some respect. I'm still a minor you know."

"It's not my fault you showed up when I was about to take a shower. Shouldn't this be a bonus for you anyway? You get to see me in all of my glory, and I'm only eight years older than you," Carmen said.

"Listen, if you've got some guns here, give them to me so I can leave."

"Hold on a sec."

Carmen walked into her bedroom and pulled a large suitcase out from under her bed. She dragged the suitcase over to Leon and popped it open. Inside was a fairly wide selection of firearms, mostly handguns. Leon took his time in selecting his weapons while Carmen headed toward the bathroom, but before she could reach it, the phone rang. Leon continued to sift through the guns, ignoring the ringing.

"Could you get that?" Carmen asked.

"It's your phone, you get it."

Carmen reluctantly waltzed over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello. Hey baby, what's up?"

Leon listened with minor attention as he finally chose the guns he wanted and closed the suitcase.

"Leon? What about him?" Carmen was saying into the telephone. Leon shifted all of his attention to the call now. If his luck continued, the caller was the one person he did not want to know his whereabouts.

"You are kidding, right? Leon would never do something like that!"

Leon twitched nervously.

"No, I haven't seen him, but I'll tell you if I do, okay? Yeah, I'll talk to you later. Bye." Carmen hung up the phone, a stunned look on her face.

"Leon, what kind of shit have you gotten into?" she asked hotly.

"That was Jerome, wasn't it?"

"Yes, and from the sound of it, he's really pissed with you. How the hell could you shoot members of your own gang?"

"I ain't a Raven! I've never had a hand in any of their operations. I just occasionally do a few jobs for Jerome. Entirely off the record books."

"Whatever. All I know is that Jerome probably wants you dead, and knowing him, he won't stop until he finds you."

Leon groaned loudly, slamming his fist on a small table next to him.

"This is fucking great! First my sister, now I'm next!"

"What happened to your sister?" Carmen questioned.

"It's a long story that I don't feel like going into right now. Listen, if he calls again, tell him I probably went underground. I'm going to find a place to lay low. I'll call you when I can."

Leon swiftly left the apartment, giving Carmen a hug before leaving. Once outside, he looked around before hopping into his car and speeding off down the road. He stopped at Ammu-Nation to pick up some extra ammo for the pistols and shotgun he got from Carmen, then sat in his car, wondering where he would go.

While he sat, a car that Leon recognized as a Diablo Stallion rode up on the side of a civilian, the two inside the car looking rather murderous. The civilian, who was enjoying an ice cream cone, dropped it and froze for a second, staring at the Diablo gang members. Leon couldn't tell what was happening, but he knew something was about to go down. He pulled out one of his pistols and rolled down his window, preparing to fire if trouble started. Leon knew he had killed his fair share of people, but he never fired on an innocent civilian. It seemed like a fucked up thing to do, and he saw no honor in doing so. Leon's suspicions were confirmed as one of the Diablos whipped out a sub-machine gun and aimed for the defenseless young man. Leon reacted quickly, firing two bullets that went straight into both Diablos' heads. Sticking away the pistol, Leon called the man over to his car.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks for that. This kind of shit happens way more often than I'd like. Mind giving me a ride? It's too damn dangerous for me to walk any further by myself."

Leon unlocked the doors and the man climbed in.

"If you could just take me to Cipriani's Ristorante, that'd be great," the man said. "My name's Michael, by the way. Michael South."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Leon Masters."

Leon followed Michael's directions to the restaurant, taking an overly long time to look at the apartments around. Portland was full of them, and there had to be one place cheap enough to rent out. Leon pulled up in front of the restaurant ten minutes later and tried to give Michael a handshake as the young man got out, but to his surprise, Michael motioned for him to get out as well.

"Come on, I want you to meet my boss."

Leon reluctantly followed Michael into the restaurant, which smelled of Italian food. The aroma made Leon hungry as he and Michael headed to a room at the very back. When they entered, they found three men sitting at a table, playing cards. Upon seeing Michael, one of the men stood up and greeted him.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting!"

"Sorry, I got a little held up. Some Diablo punks tried to blow me away."

"You didn't take 'em out first?"

"Yeah, I, uh, forgot my gun again."

"Michael, what the fuck? You gotta stop forgetting things like that. If you don't, you'll end up dead! Now, who's this?"

"Oh, this is Leon. He saved my hide from those Diablos. Leon, this is my boss, Toni Cipriani."

Leon took a second to analyze Toni. He had seen a few photos of Toni, just to be knowledgeable about the gangs in Liberty, and this Toni looked nothing like the one in the photo. From being a slightly overweight joke, Toni became something more formidable. He had lost the weight and bulked up in just three short years. He looked like he was someone you didn't want to mess with.

"So you saved my boy Michael, eh? You must be new in Liberty, I haven't seen you before," Toni said.

"Yeah, I'm new, and I'm looking for a job. Think you can help me out?"

"As a matter of fact, I think I can. I need somebody to team up with Michael here and do a hit on some Diablo bastards who've been giving me trouble. Since you two have already worked together, why don't you go along with him?"

"Fine with me. Just tell me where I can find my target."

"You're a regular killer, aren't you? How old are you kid?"

"Seventeen, but I've been doing jobs like this since I was twelve."

Toni let out a loud chuckle upon hearing this.

"Since you were twelve, huh? I like you, kid. Get out there and show me what you can do. You can find the bastards in question hanging around the train station."

Leon and Michael left the restaurant, Leon looking happy, Michael looking worried. Leon was happy because he had just had a little good luck for once. If the Raven Syndicate ever found him, he'd need some kind of backup. Knowing that Toni was a part of the Leone family, the Mafia, he asked for work in order to get his foot in the door. When Toni came to trust him, Leon would have an ally, someone who would have his back. The Ravens would have a hard time trying to kill him then.

"Michael, you ready to do this?" he asked.

"Yeah, let's go blow these punks away!" Michael exclaimed. Leon let out a low laugh. Michael was trying to sound tough, but it just didn't work. Leon figured he'd probably have to do this himself.


	3. Beginner's Work

Chapter 3: Beginner's Work

The dark-green Infernus made it's way up the street slowly. Leon was busy planning his attack strategy, while Michael was trying to shake his nerves. Leon parked the car across the street from the station. He wanted the car as close by as was safe in case a hasty retreat was necessary. Looking over at Michael, he chuckled.

"You think you're up for this? You look like hell," he said.

"I know. It's just that this is the first time I've done something like this," Michael admitted.

"Maybe you should find a new profession. If you can't handle a simple hit like this, you're not going to make it. This will end up being everyday shit for you, ya know?"

"Yeah, I get it. Don't worry, I'm good. So, who are we taking out? I see a bunch of Diablos over there."

"I get the feeling that Toni wanted us to just pop a couple of Diablo soldiers. If he had a specific target, he would've told us. Come on, let's have some fun."

Leon and Michael got out of the car. Leon popped his trunk and handed Michael his shotgun before they attacked, realizing that Michael had forgotten to grab a weapon. Once that was taken care of, they casually walked on over to the other side of the street, not caring to conceal their guns. One of the Diablos saw them coming and made a move for his piece, but it was the last move he'd ever make. Leon fired one single round from his pistol straight into the Diablo's skull. He was dead instantly. The other Diablos saw this and tried to retaliate, but Leon was just too quick. Using only one of his pistols and a fancy rolling maneuver, he dropped five of the eight Diablos that were standing there before they could get a shot off. Michael backed him up by gunning two Diablos himself, albeit a little slow in his action. Only one Diablo managed to actually pull out his gun and aim, deciding to try and take out Leon who was clearly the more dangerous one, but it was in vain. Leon had sent a bullet his way just as the Diablo aimed the gun. The bullet went through the chest, felling the Diablo immediately. He was still alive, but Michael took care of that. Leon started to congratulate Michael, but pulled him towards the car instead when he spotted a Diablo Stallion charging down the street, attempting to run them down. They barely made it out of the car's path, Leon nearly getting squashed.

They hopped into the Infernus and Leon started the car, hitting the gas as soon as the engine roared to life. The Stallion was hot on their tails as Leon rounded the next corner, trying to get out of Diablo territory. As he approached the turning point to head back into Mafia turf, Leon had another idea. He went the opposite direction, toward the car crusher at the junkyard. The Diablo Stallion followed, but the driver soon regretted that decision as Leon led him into the junkyard and onto the small hill behind the car crusher. Leon spun the wheel and hit a sharp left, watching with satisfaction as the Diablo Stallion rushed up the hill and over the cliff into the water below.

"Damn! That's it for them!" he said in an almost maniacal voice.

"Are you fucking crazy? You coulda flipped this thing over!" Michael exclaimed. "What's wrong with you?"

"Sorry 'bout that. I've got a major problem and it's making me a little crazy. I guess I'm just trying to blow off some steam."

"What's the problem?"

"Simply put, I'm probably being hunted as we speak. It's not a good feeling."

"Life of a criminal, huh?"

Leon didn't answer and just headed back to give Toni the good news. When he pulled up in front of the restaurant, Michael quickly got out of the car and headed in, but Leon stopped him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?" Michael said, confused.

"My shotgun. You didn't think you were keeping that, did you? Get your own."

Michael laughed sheepishly and handed Leon the shotgun, then they went inside.

"Boss, we did it! Those idiots won't be messing with you again!" Michael said, clearly excited.

"Taught those bastards a lesson, huh? That's the kind of results I want," Toni said. "Your name's Leon, right? I think you'll fit in nicely with this 'organization'."

Leon only smiled and said, "What's next?"

One Month Later…

An alarm clock was going off like crazy. Leon slowly rose out of his bed and turned it off. After a long yawn, he walked over to his window and looked out at the city, thinking about all that had happened. In one short month, he'd became one of the Mafia's best men and a personal friend of Toni's. He even got Leon his apartment in Saint Mark's, which provided a good view of the surrounding area. The last month was filled with nothing but action, as Leon was often leading the charge against the Diablos and bringing the Mafia closer to finishing them with every Diablo he felled. The Ravens hadn't shown up yet, so Leon was starting to worry about them less and less. The only thing on his mind was continuing his work. He took one last look at the rising sun, and got himself ready for the day. He threw on some blue jeans and a green polo shirt, tidied himself up in the bathroom, then bolted out the door to start the day.

Leon got into his Infernus and started it up, sitting for a second before pulling off. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was only eight o'clock. He hit the road, heading for the restaurant, but halfway there, he spotted a limo heading from the direction of the restaurant and toward a house on the cliff. The windows were tinted and the occupants couldn't been seen, but judging from the apparent destination, Leon had a feeling Toni was in there somewhere. The house in question belonged to the Don of the Mafia, Joey Leone, although the place was more like a slightly downsized mansion. During the last month, Leon met Joey and became a loyal operative in Joey's eyes. It was the fact that Toni and Joey came to trust him quickly that made Leon feel safer, but he wondered about the kind of fear that Joey could instill in others.

Joey Leone was the son of the late Salvatore Leone, the old Don. After his death, it was unanimously decided that Joey would take over, though Joey wasn't sure he was the right man for the job. Nevertheless, Joey tried his best to lead the Mafia, and other than being somewhat uncomfortable wearing a suit instead of his usual mechanics' jumpsuit, things were good for him. Now, following Toni's advice, he put much of his faith in Leon, an action that he would not be regretting anytime soon.

The limo parked inside the mansion's garage, while Leon found a spot outside. He stepped out of his car and walked up the stairs after giving the occupants of the limo some time to get out and settle themselves inside. As Leon walked through the open sliding glass doors, he was greeted by the sound of an infuriated Toni.

"Toni, what's going on?" Leon asked, curious as to what had Toni so angry.

"Everybody's trying to screw us over, that's what's going on! Who do these SOB's think they are? First the Diablos try to rub us out, now these bastards come in, acting like they're somebody!"

"Who are you talking about?"

Toni said something, but Leon couldn't understand what he was saying; it was in italian. Instead, Joey was the one who answered Leon's query.

"These guys, we don't know their name, but they're courageous. All we know for sure is that they came to Liberty about a year ago. They singlehandedly wiped out what was left of the Triads and took over Chinatown."

"You didn't do anything about them then?" Leon asked in a surprised tone.

"They didn't seem like much of a threat. They weren't messing with us, so we didn't mess with them. Looks like that was a bad idea, since now they want to take our territory for themselves."

"I assume you want me to teach them a lesson about messing with the Mafia, right?"

"You're damn right we do!" a furious Toni spat. "Teach these idiots that messing with us is a bad idea! I don't care if you have to stick a bomb up their asses, just do whatever it takes!"

Leon left the mansion wondering what the best way to tackle this assignment would be. He would've liked to have Michael with him, but Michael was in the hospital with two cracked ribs, a broken arm, and a broken jaw and was unavailable. The injuries were the result of a severe beat-down from two Diablos, followed by a subsequent toss out of a speeding car. It wasn't a good experience, and to make matters worse, he had been alone when the Diablos jumped him. Leon knew nothing until after the attack had taken place. As the thoughts of Michael's attack drifted through his head, Leon instantly had an idea, thinking that something of that nature would certainly send a message to this unknown gang. He raced over to Chinatown, planning to grab a gang member and give him a little taste of old school barbarism, but Leon found a big flaw in his plan when he drove into the area. It wasn't hard to identify the people Joey and Toni were talking about. There was a bunch of guys roaming the area wearing black tees and purple shorts, along with purple headbands. The problem here was that there was just too many of them for Leon to waltz up and start beating one down; he'd be knocked out in a second. Leon decided that he'd have to just start shooting and kill as many as possible.

Grabbing a Tec-9 from the passenger side seat, Leon hopped out of his car, targeted one of the gang members, and fired. His target hit the ground and was immobile; the bullet went through the heart. The other gang members saw this and pulled out their own guns. Leon ducked behind a parked car a few feet away in order to avoid the rain of bullets that came his way, but he knew that was just a temporary solution; the gang members would just surround him and finish him off. Disliking that way to leave the world, Leon bolted to his car, hoping to get in and flee, but gunfire killed that plan and forced him to sprint the other way. Unfortunately, more enemies were coming from that direction and had their guns already drawn. Leon was in a tight position, unsure of what to do. As he contemplated his highly possible death and a way to escape it, another car rode up and stopped in front of the advancing gang members. Leon stared in surprise as the driver side door opened up and a rather dangerous looking man stepped out. He was a middle-aged black man, fairly tall with a firm build, and was wearing blue jeans with a green shirt and green cap tilted to the side. The man had emerged holding two Micro SMGs' and began blasting.

"I suggest you get moving!" he told Leon.

Using the distraction the man caused, Leon headed to his car and got in, speeding off immediately afterward. He thought about heading back to Joey's, but he didn't want to leave the man who had helped him fighting all alone. That was a coward's move and Leon was no coward. He made a U-turn and drove back, performing a drive-by as he went. Many enemy gang members were struck and killed by Leon's fire, and it made the other members scatter, or at least it seemed that way at first. Sirens could be heard racing down the street and Leon knew hanging around would be a bad idea.The other man heard the sirens too, and he got back into his car and drove off and out of sight. Leon followed his example and got out of the area too. He went straight to Joey's manor, but didn't go into the dirt parking area. Instead, he parked his car on the street and just sat there, wondering who the man who helped him was. He closed his eyes in an attempt to regain his composure, having it disrupted by the onslaught of foes he had just faced. Cursing his idiocy, he made a promise to never start shooting gang members out of nowhere while deep in their area. He made this mistake before, but apparently didn't remember it. He sat uninterupted for only another couple of minutes. Out of nowhere, someone started banging on his window. Leon opened his eyes to see who it was, his hand reaching for his gun in case it was an enemy. Looking at the person's face, Leon put his gun down and sighed. He rolled down the window and smiled at the young man at his window, happy to see him.

"Damn Kai, you scared the hell out of me."

"The young man called Kai grinned.

"Hey, Leon. So this is where you've been hiding."

"What are you doing here?" Leon asked.

"I came looking for you. I've got some news for you."

Leon's smile faded, worried about what Kai had to tell him.


	4. Miracles Happen

Chapter 4: Miracles Happen

"So, are you going to tell me what's up or not?" Leon asked Kai as he drove across the Callahan Bridge and onto Staunton Island.

"I could, but I thought you might like to see for yourself," Kai responded. "Trust me, it'll be much better this way."

"Come on, you know I hate waiting. Tell me!"

"Nope. You'll just have to wait and see."

"Fine. Where are we going anyway?"

"Waterfront condos, just down the street from the multistory car park. I happen to have a little place there."

Leon knew where the condos were and headed there at top speed, narrowly avoiding major collisions and scaring the hell out of Kai.

"Can you be a little more careful next time? I don't want to die young!" Kai shouted as the two exited the vehicle after parking.

"I thought you enjoyed a little risk," Leon said.

"Yeah, when I'm fairly sure I won't die!"

Leon laughed upon hearing this. To him, Kai was an incredibly reckless person. He was the son of Yusuke Shirow, the leader of the Yakuza in Cordell City. As his son, Kai was a well respected member of the Yakuza who was in line to lead the organization after his father stepped down. Kai, however, never really cared about being Yakuza and often preferred to help Leon on his jobs for the Raven Syndicate rather than learning the ways of the Yakuza. Whenever Kai was around, things would always get perilous. Kai liked to put himself into situations that were exceedingly dangerous, often making Leon risk his own life in order to make sure Kai didn't die. Despite this, Leon considered Kai one of his best friends.

The two walked into the condominium and up to the fourth floor, where Kai's place was located. As he placed his key into the door and turned it, Kai gave Leon a large smile and ushered him inside. Leon scanned the room, but saw nothing of particular interest.

"So...you wanted me to see your place? Not bad...I guess."

"It's not a matter of the place itself, but rather who's in it. Look in the kitchen, she's probably in there."

Leon walked over to the kitchen area and looked. His eyes widened upon spotting a young girl over by the sink who was washing dishes. He couldn't see her face, but he was sure he knew who it was. Moving quietly, he approached her and kissed her on the head.

"Hey, Kai. We're friends and all, but I don't think we're that close. Back off!" she said, jamming her shoulder into Leon's side. He let out a groan of pain and took a few steps back.

"Damn, that hurt! You could be a little more gentle with your brother, you know!"

The girl gasped loudly and turned around, realizing who it was she hit.

"Leon! You're alive. Oh my God, I thought you were dead!"

"Me? I thought you were dead! Weren't you Jerome's captive?"

"She was, but I managed to change that," Kai interjected. "When I heard Jerome was after you, I figured it would be a good idea for me to get Violet out of there before he killed her."

"How the hell did you do that?"

"Got my father to help. The Yakuza and the Ravens aren't exactly the best of buddies, so it was easy to convince him to launch an attack against them. I got Violet out during all of the commotion."

Leon stared at Violet and smiled at her, but the smile slowly faded as he came to realize what she had on. She was wearing nothing but a white tank top and some plaid shorts, which didn't cover up most of her legs since they weren't even the length of what Leon considered 'normal shorts'. Leon sighed, wondering if Kai tried anything. Violet wasn't anywhere near ugly. In fact, Leon often referred to her as one of the prettiest girls he knew. Violet had a soft face and beautiful jade eyes that could soften even the hardest of criminals. She also possessed a body that most girls would die for, something that was a natural gift for her rather than a hard earned reward. Adding to all of that, when Violet wore clothing that hugged her body in all the right ways, most men gave her their full attention, even if she hadn't asked for it. Violet's beauty was a constant pain for Leon, as he was quite defensive of her, and often resulted in him beating up others for hitting on her. Violet wasn't interested in a boyfriend, however, and actually appreciated her brother's actions. Stranger still, she often did the same thing regarding the girls that spoke to Leon. Most people always described Leon as a male counterpart to Violet, as he himself was blessed with good looks and a nicely built body for a teen. The biggest difference was that Leon's eyes were brown, not jade. Girls loved to talk to him, but Violet always disproved of the girls who tried and usually made them leave him alone. Like Violet, Leon wasn't interested in a lover and thanked Violet for her interference.

Leon hoped that Kai didn't want to try anything with Violet, because if he did, Leon wasn't going to have it. Friend or not, Leon would end up doing something painful to him, which he didn't want to have to do. Luckily, Kai never seemed to think about anything like that, which meant that he would stay on Leon's good side.

"Violet, could you please put on some more appropriate clothing?" Leon asked. "I don't need to see your long legs, alright?"

"I can't believe this! We see each other for the first time after believing the other to be dead, and that's all you can say?"

"Sorry, but you know how it is for me. I'm your brother, and I'll always say things like that, no matter what."

"Yeah, I know. It's cool. So, what have you been up to out here in Liberty?"

"I'd like to know that myself," Kai added. "How long have you been here?"

"I arrived about a month ago. Things moved kind of quickly for me, way faster than I expected." Leon answered. "As soon as I got here, I managed to get work with the Mafia. Now, I'm a trusted member of the family."

"What family?" Violet asked.

"The Leones."

"Huh, you're not doing too bad for yourself, eh?" Kai said. Leon nodded and began to shoot into an explanation of how it all happened, but the ringing of his cell phone interrupted him. It was a gift from Joey to make it easier for them to keep in touch.

"Hello? What? The Diablos are attacking? Hold on, I'll…what? They've teamed up? Who with? I'm on my way, just hold on!" Leon put his phone away.

"That was the Don. Some shit is going down back in Portland. I gotta get moving, but I'll be back soon."

"Let me come with you, you can use my help," Kai said.

"Yeah, you're right. Grab some guns and meet me at the car."

"What about me?" Violet asked.

"You stay here. We'll be back in no time," Leon assured her.

The two got what weapons they needed and drove back to Portland. Neither of them noticed the jet black Cheetah sitting in the condo parking lot that was watching them as they left.

Once they entered the area, they could see things were bad. Chinatown was a war zone, with Mafia members taking on the thugs in purple on every corner. Driving through town, Leon made his way to Joey's mansion, where all of the major action was taking place. He and Kai hopped out of the car and went directly into the gunfight, blasting on every enemy they saw. Leon informed Kai on who was who as to avoid having any Mafia goons killed. It was total hell fighting through the crowd of gunmen. Bullets were flying everywhere and bodies were dropping left and right. Using some expert gunplay skills, Leon wiped out a whole group of Diablos, all the while avoiding enemy fire by ducking and dodge rolling effectively. Kai fought in a far different manner, using whatever cover he could find to his advantage and shooting out from behind it.

It took over an hour before the battle was over. There were a whole bunch of Diablo bodies littering the ground, and more than a few of the guys in purple too. Leon looked on with satisfaction, knowing that many of the kills were his and Kai's. He ran over and gave his friend a slap on the back.

"Nice shooting! You got better since I last saw you."

"I know. I've been practicing non-stop," Kai said with a wide grin.

It looked like everything was over, but the ringing of Leon's phone changed all that.

"Hello?"

"Am I speaking to a Leon Masters?"

"Yeah. Who is this?"

"I'm just calling to let you know I've got your sister here with me, and she doesn't look too good."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I thought I was clear. Your sister is here with me, and if you don't come get her, who knows what will happen to her."

"You better be lying, you fuck!"

"Why don't you come and find out. I'm at the old mansion in Shoreside Vale. If you want your lovely sister back, you can come get her." The unknown caller hung up, leaving Leon perplexed.

"Who was that?" Kai asked.

"I don't know, but he said he's got Violet. I've gotta go and check this out."

"You're kidding, right? We just left her! She was perfectly safe!"

"I know, but I'm not willing to take any chances. I'm going to find whoever that was, and crush his fucking skull!"

"Who has your number? That's an easy way to narrow down the list of who it might've been."

Leon thought about that. The only people who had his cell phone number were Joey and Toni, but neither of them would've done something like that to him. The only explanation was that someone got the number from Joey or Toni, and the only person they would've given it out to would be someone in the family. That meant that there was a traitor among them, but that still didn't make sense. If their was a traitor in the Mafia, how did they know of Violet's existence, and who would even benefit from this? Nothing made sense.

"Kai, go back to the condo and see if Violet is still there. Here's my number. Call me if she's okay."

"You got it."

"Here, take my car." Leon threw him the keys to the Infernus.

"What are you going to ride?"

"I'll find something. Just take care of my car. I don't need to lose that too."

Kai hopped into Leon's Infernus and sped off, while Leon headed out into the street and pulled out his pistol. He pointed at the first car that came down the road, making the driver stop immediately.

"Get out of the damn car!" Leon yelled.

The driver leapt out and scurried away, leaving his car, a very nice Super GT, for Leon to take. He got in and drove off, heading to the Porter Tunnel.

"First a miracle happens, then I get shit shoveled in my face! Just my fucking luck!"


	5. The Trap

Chapter 5: The Trap

**Disclaimer: **Just in case anyone has forgotten, I own nothing from GTA. The only thing I own is my own creations. So please don't sue me!

Leon sped through the Porter Tunnel like a madman, bobbing and weaving through traffic dangerously. Anyone looking at him would've wondered how he got a license, but they didn't know what was going on. No one knew that he was racing to save his sister from the clutches some unknown man who's real agenda was to probably get Leon in his clutches. Leon knew perfectly well that he might be walking into a trap, but he didn't care. If Violet was in danger, he would go to any lengths to save her.

As he exited the tunnel all the way in Shoreside, his cell phone rang. It was Kai with an update.

"Leon, she's not here! I don't know what the fuck happened after we left, but she's certainly gone!"

"Okay, be cool. Just stay there and wait for me to call you back."

"Why should I stay here? I can come out there and help you!"

"No, this is personal. Stay there, and I'll call you back."

Leon hung up before Kai could try protesting any more and concentrated on where he was going. He was pretty sure he knew of the mansion the strange caller had mentioned, seeing as there was only one place in Shoreside Vale that fit the bill. It was located close to the edge of Shoreside Vale, near the Cochrane Dam. Leon was sure that it had been occupied by the Columbian Cartel just three years ago. He knew this because Kai had told him. After all, being in the Yakuza gave Kai access to some good information.

It didn't take long for Leon to reach the mansion. There were two guys in purple waiting at the gate inside. Leon bet they were guards or something. Seeing Leon, the two guys signaled to another who operated the gate. It opened up, allowing Leon to enter. He drove in slowly, feeling a bit nervous watching the gate close, but he shook the feeling off and exited his car, making sure to grab his gun and stuff it out of sight.

Leon was met by two of the purple clad gangsters at the door who escorted him inside. The three walked to a room close to the back of the mansion. The purple-wearing gangsters followed Leon inside, their hands suspiciously close to their hips. Leon suspected their guns were located there, and they were ready to pull them out if things got bad. The first thing Leon saw was Violet gagged and bound to a chair. Leon felt his blood boiling and contemplated killing the two guys who were with him. He quickly decided that that was the plan and turned to face the two gangsters, whipping out his pistol as he did so. Before they could react, Leon shot them and sent them to the ground, bleeding rather badly. Satisfied, Leon rushed over to Violet and untied her. As soon as her hands were free, she removed the gag and looked at Leon fearfully.

"Leon, we gotta go. It's a trap, he's here!"

"Who's here?"

"Oh, I can answer that for you," came a voice from behind them. Leon turned around nervously. The voice was familiar and he was sure he knew who it belonged to. His fear was confirmed upon seeing a tall black man blocking the doorway. The man had a smirk on his face, like he had just won the lottery.

"Hi Jerome. Didn't expect to see you here," Leon said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't. I guess I got lucky when my contact here in Liberty told me he had seen you. Once I had that information, all I had to do was arrange to meet you," Jerome told him.

"So this is your doing?"

"Yeah, it is. I mean, sure, I could've just showed up at your house and killed you there, but it's much more fun setting traps for people. At least that way, I know you couldn't escape."

"Maybe not, but did you ever consider that I might kill you before you killed me?" Leon asked. Jerome answered with a laugh.

"Do you really think you can? I don't think so, not when I've got my loyal Ravens accompanying me."

Several Raven Syndicate members rushed into the room at that point, making Leon's nervousness worse.

"I think we should keep the talk to a minimum and just get on with your death," Jerome said. "If you can just stand still, it'll be over in a second."

Jerome pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Leon, who gripped his own gun tightly. Leon hadn't planned on dying, but things were looking bad. Jerome gave Leon a look that displayed his clear joy and put his finger on the trigger.

The sound of gunfire erupted throughout the mansion, but not from Jerome's gun. At the very moment he was about to pull the trigger, a gun went off in another part of the building. This took Jerome's mind off of what he was doing, giving Leon and Violet a split-second chance of surviving. He took hold of Violet's arm and dragged her over to the window in the room and jumped out of it. Luckily, their fall was cushioned by the fact that they dropped onto some rather thick grass.

"Come on, we gotta move!" Leon told Violet, helping her up and hurrying her along. A gunfight had been started inside the mansion, as nothing but gunfire could now be heard. Leon and Violet ran around to the front of the mansion where they were met by two Ravens. Leon quickly dispatched of them and headed for his car. Unfortunately, he found his tires popped and his ride useless.

"Damn! Now what do we do?"

Violet answered his question by pulling him along through the open gate and telling him to run. Apparently, whoever was inside the mansion shooting the place up took care of the guards. The two made it all the way down to the next street before stopping. Leon was trying to figure out which way to go, figuring that it would be best to get back to Portland as soon as possible. He was sure that Joey would be able to help him with this mess and get Jerome off his back for good. Thinking the tunnel would be the best route, Leon whipped out his pistol and headed into the street, flashing it at the first car that stopped at the light, which happened to be a Patriot.

"Come on, don't be an idiot! Get out, now!"

The driver didn't seem to happy about being told to get out of his own car, and decided that he wasn't moving. On the contrary, the driver revealed a gun of his own and tried to shoot Leon, but the teen was too quick. Leon had already moved over to the driver-side window with his pistol. All it took was one shot to the head. The driver was down and out. Without thinking, Leon tried to open the door, and it was unlocked.

"Guess this guy thought he wouldn't get jacked," he said to himself.

Pulling the guy out and getting in, he motioned for Violet to do the same. After she obeyed, Leon sped off toward the tunnel entrance. The ride wasn't smooth, however, as two Landstalkers driven by Syndicate members managed to catch up with Leon and started trying to run him off the road. Leon shot at the car closest to him, although his aim was thrown off by an oncoming car that had swerved into his path, trying to avoid all of the commotion. Leon barely managed to avoid tipping the car over as he zigzagged around traffic, which was surprisingly heavy. Matters were made worse by the somewhat unexpected involvement of a police car, which had seen the chase going on and moved in to put a halt to it. By the time Leon entered the tunnel, there were now three police cars involved, one of which had stopped one of the Landstalkers.

As the chase continued, Leon realized he had made a mistake in entering the tunnel. He expected some traffic, but it was heavier than he anticipated. Dodging cars was not easy, and he nearly caused a major accident. Leon decided that it would be better to escape on foot, thinking he could cause a big enough traffic jam to stop his pursuers. He hit the brakes and spun the wheel, putting the Patriot directly in the way of traffic, effectively stopping it's flow. He then got out of the car and made a run for it, with Violet right behind him. The Syndicate members followed suit, ditching their Landstalker to give chase on foot. The police even got out of their cars and started running. Leon felt like this was going to end badly. His pursuers were closing in, guns drawn. Once they were close enough to aim effectively, that would be it. Leon stopped at the Staunton Island exit and turned around to face his adversaries. He didn't want to be a coward; it wasn't his way.

"Leon, what the fuck are you doing? Keep running!" Violet exclaimed.

"You go on ahead. I'm gonna take care of these bitches!"

As Violet grabbed hold of Leon and tried to force him to run, a burgundy Greenwood drove into their path coming from Staunton Island. Leon recognized the driver as the man who had helped him earlier that day.

"If you wanna live, get in!" the man said.

Leon and Violet wasted no time in doing what the man said and climbed into his car. The man then sped off down the tunnel, leaving the Syndicate members to deal with the police themselves.

"Hey, thanks man. I wasn't sure what was gonna happen," Leon said.

"Don't mention it. It was just yo luck that was even around," the man told him. "I'm just interested in smokin' them Balla bitches."

"Who?" Leon asked.

"The niggas in purple, the Ballas. I don't know who those other fools were, but I'll take them motherfuckers out too if I have to."

"The other guys are members of the Raven Syndicate, a gang from Cordell City."

"Never heard of them before. Matter of fact, I ain't never been to Cordell City. I don't travel much."

"Mind if I ask who you are? I like to know the names of the people who help me out?"

"CJ, Carl Johnson."

The name sounded somewhat familiar to Leon.

"Well CJ, I think this could be the start of a very beneficial friendship."

"Why do you say that?"

"If you drive me to a little place in Saint Mark's, I'll explain along the way."


	6. Fleeing the City

Chapter 6: Fleeing the City

Leon had CJ drive him home, where he left Violet in order to make sure that she was safe. Violet didn't feel safe being alone, but Leon assured her that his house was unknown to Jerome's thugs, a statement he himself wasn't entirely sure of, but felt that it was probably true since he wasn't ambushed there. He quickly gave Kai a call to tell him what was up before having CJ take him over to Joey's place. With Jerome in the city, searching for him, Leon knew that he'd need the Mafia to help him out if he wanted to live.

"Damn, I ain't seen Joey Leone in years," CJ said as the car pulled up to the building.

"You know Joey?"

"Yeah, I used to work for him. It's been a while, though. He probably doesn't even remember me. No, wait a minute, I take that back. He just might remember me, since I screwed his pops over once. Hey man, you do what you have to do and I'll see you later."

"Alright, CJ. Hey, give me you phone number and I'll call you later. We can talk some more about bringing the Ballas down."

"Yeah, that's cool. I'll talk to you later then." Leon traded numbers with CJ and got out of the car. He walked up to Joey's front door as CJ drove off. Joey and Toni were sitting down, watching TV as Leon slid open the glass doors, alerting them to his arrival.

"Hey kid, how ya doing?" Toni asked happily. It was rare for anyone to see Toni in a happy mood, and Leon wanted to ask what was up, but there were bigger things on his mind.

"Not too good. All hell is about to break loose, and I need some help."

"Whatcha need, Leon?" Joey asked. Leon went into a quick explanation of what had happened to him. When he was done, Joey told him to calm down.

"Don't sweat it, I'll make sure it's all taken care of. Everything will be fine."

"Joey, don't take these guys lightly. When they want something done, they don't stop until they get it done." Joey told him to calm down again and not to worry. Leon felt a little more secure, but couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't going to get better anytime soon. When his phone started ringing, he felt bad news coming.

"Hello."

"Leon, it's me Kai. Where are you?" Kai sounded urgent.

"At Joey's. What's up?"

"Get outta there, now! The Ravens are about to attack the place!"

"What?"

"I saw em' heading in that direction. I think they're coming after you!"

"Oh, shit! Listen, go get Violet and get her to safety!"

"I already got her. We're at the Callahan Bridge. Get over here quickly!"

"I'm on my way." Leon hung up the phone and turned to Joey. "My friend said the Ravens are about to attack. We should go before they get here." Leon headed toward the door, but stopped as he heard gunshots. The Ravens were already there.

"Shit! Leon, get to the garage. There's a car in there you can take!"

"You're actually telling me to leave? You don't want my help?"

"Fighting a fight you didn't plan for isn't exactly a good idea. When the odds are against you, it'll just get you killed. We need to deal with this shit on our terms, not theirs!"

Leon was somewhat surprised with Joey's words. Leon had told him the same thing only two weeks ago, when he was forced to run after being ambushed by the Diablos during a mission. He didn't think that Joey would actually listen to him, though.

"Alright, but you and Toni should get out of here too." Joey nodded, motioning for Leon to get moving.

Leon ran outside, ducking just in time as a Syndicate member shot at him. Leon took out his own gun and fired back, taking the Syndicate member down with a bullet to the head. He quickly headed down the stairs that led into the garage and found a Mafia Sentinel sitting there, unlocked ans with the keys still in the ignition. Leon wasted no time in starting the car up and taking off as soon as the garage door was open. He rushed through all of the gunfire directed at his car, ducking to avoid any bullets that came through the window. Once he was on the street, he made his way for the bridge. As he ignored all traffic lights, he got there incredibly fast, spotting his Infernus waiting on the street corner next to the bridge. He parked behind Kai and Violet and ran up to the car, climbing into the small backseat.

"Go, now!" he panted. Kai took off, whizzing across the bridge at top speed.

"Where are we going?" Leon asked.

"Airport," Kai answered. Leon didn't bother to ask why. He was too busy looking out for any sign of the Ravens.

The trio pulled into the airport parking lot and made for the terminal. Finally, after feeling confident that the Ravens weren't close behind, he asked Kai where they were going.

"We're getting out of town. Shit is too hot here." Kai handed him a plane ticket. "I got one for each of us."

"Great, but where are we going?" Leon asked again, neglecting to look at the ticket, which would've answered his question.

"Vice City." Kai replied.


	7. Inside the Apartment

Chapter 7: Inside the Apartment

Leon let out a huge yawn as he and the others got off the plane. He was feeling tired for some reason, even though a five hour flight wasn't that tiring. He suspected that it was the temperature on the plane that made him tired, not to mention sweaty. He trailed behind Kai who led the way out to the airport parking lot, trying his best not to doze off and slam into a car. Violet walked alongside him, her hand gripping his tightly. Leon knew that she was worried about him, and he felt bad for making her feel that way.

_"But this isn't the first time she's felt that way," _he thought. _"She always worries about me whenever I take a job."_ He couldn't help but feel even worse at thinking that. Sometimes he wondered if he made the right choice in doing what he did to make money.

The trio walked all the way to a rather empty area of the parking lot, where a red Admiral was waiting. In the driver's seat was a skinny, slightly goofy-looking man with chestnut hair. He had a look on his face that reminded Leon of a wild animal. He could just tell that this guy was a nut.

"Yo, Kai! What's going on my friend?" the man yelled out the window.

"You know damn well what's going on, so just take us to our new home," Kai responded, making his way into the passenger side seat. Leon and Violet climbed into the back.

"Kai, I gotta tell you, I couldn't get you no high-end home. Shit costs too much these days for me to go around and let people live in homes that I have to pay for," the man said as he started the car and drove off.

"I don't care, Flynn. Any place'll do, assuming it's big enough to house three people."

"It can.....I think. Here's the key. We'll be there in a little bit."

"It isn't some rundown shanty, is it?"

"No. It's a nice apartment building right across from the North Point Mall, Vice City's premiere shopping center."

"Flynn, the only thing premiere in Vice is it's drug trade."

"Good point. Speaking of which, if you need something to calm your nerves, I can help with that." Kai looked at him as if he was an idiot.

"Does it look like I do drugs? Wait, let me guess. You thought I was an opium junkie, right?"

"Forget I said anything." Flynn turned his full attention to the road, unsure of what else to say.

In the backseat, Leon and Violet were just enjoying the new sights they were seeing, as neither had ever been to Vice City before. Leon's mind was filled with thoughts that were bothering the hell out of him. He was wondering if going through all of this was worth the money he made for Violet. They did need it, but there were probably better(and legal) ways to make money, but those ways wouldn't have produced as much funds as Leon's jobs produced for him. Nevertheless, there were downsides to it all, the biggest of which being that he constantly had Violet on pins and needles due to the dangerous nature of what he did. Her worries always doubled whenever Leon was late in coming home, as she automatically assumed the worst.

There would be no need for Leon to do any work if his parents had been lucky enough to avoid the train crash that took their lives. Both Leon and Violet remembered the day quite vividly, as if it had happened just yesterday. They were waving goodbye to their parents, who were on a train heading for some city in the north. A babysitter was hired to keep an eye on them and she was kind enough to bring them to the station to see their parents off. Leon would later come to wish that she hadn't. The train had barely pulled out of the station before an oncoming freight train that was on the wrong side off the tracks slammed into it, causing an immense explosion due to the gasoline that the freight train had been transporting. Leon and Violet basically saw their parents die right before their eyes, and it affected them a lot at that time. Eventually, Leon realized that they wouldn't survive if they didn't focus on what they needed to do, which was to somehow figure out a way to make money. The accident happened when they were ten years old. They were able to live off of the money their mother had stashed away in her closet for two years, but they were two difficult years and the money eventually ran out. That was when Leon became a mercenary of sorts. He was only twelve, and he became a killer.

"Leon, you okay?" Violet asked, bringing Leon out of his reverie.

"I'm good. Just tired," he half-lied. He wasn't feeling good at the moment with all of his problems, but he was tired. Violet gripped his hand again, determined to comfort him as best she could.

The drive to the apartment only took twenty minutes, thanks largely to Flynn's wild driving. In those twenty minutes, Leon had firmly decided that he disliked Flynn, and that was that. He was too much of a random person for Leon's taste, and the only thing that he really heard was Flynn's quick introduction. After that, Leon tried to tune him out, but that wasn't easy. Flynn's voice just seemed to grind it's way into his head. When they reached the apartment, Leon was incredibly thankful that the ride wasn't longer.

"All right you guys, I'll be back tomorrow," Flynn said as he watched the three walk up the stairs to the front door. "Hey, Leon. I promise you that this job I arranged for you is going to be sweet. You'll be working for the city's most infamous resident."

Leon felt like asking who Flynn was talking about, but elected to keep his mouth shut. He'd heard enough from Flynn for one day.

The three found their apartment quickly and went on inside to check it out. It was actually a nice place, complete with stylish furniture and beautiful paintings up on the wall that gave wonderful life to the apartment. It was the lovely mix of reds, greens, and browns that blended together so well that made Leon feel slightly calmer for some reason. He went on to survey the rest of the apartment, taking note that it only had two bedrooms. He wondered how that was going to work. Violet had noticed this too as she walked around, but unlike Leon, she wasn't worried about it.

"Leon," she started as she walked into the room he ended up in. "You wanna sleep together?"

Leon spun around to look at his sister, unsure of what he just heard her say. There was a look of confusion on his face.

"What's wrong?" Violet asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Leon exclaimed.

"Do you want to sleep together?"

"No, of course not! What do I look like, some country bumpkin?"

"I was talking about sharing the room you idiot. What the hell are you thinking about?"

Leon didn't answer. He was wondering about that himself.

"Well, whether or not you're okay with us rooming together, I'm gonna need a new set of clothes since all my stuff is back in Liberty. Give me some money so I can go over to the mall."

At this point, Leon realized that she was still wearing the white tee and plaid shorts she had on earlier. For some reason, as he looked at her, Leon's eyes locked in on her chest and his mind began to make comments that Leon hadn't ever considered before. Violet seemed to notice where his eyes were looking and she covered up her cleavage with her arms. "Why are you looking at my breasts?"

"I..I..I'm not," Leon sputtered, returning to his senses. "Why would I be looking there?"

"You tell me. Were you entranced by them?"

"I wasn't looking at you like that!"

"There's no need to lie. I'm not mad at you."

"I didn't mean to stare at you like that. It's just that...you look more...mature than I thought you did."

"Is that the best excuse you can come up with? With all the boys you've driven off, I'm sure you have a good idea of how sexy I look."

"No, I don't. You're my sister and I don't look at you like I might other girls."

Violet glared at Leon, making him wonder if he should retract that last statement.

"So you don't think I'm pretty?"

"Of course I do. I just don't want to use the word sexy."

"Why not?"

"It doesn't feel right."

Violet said nothing more, but she moved closer to Leon, taking baby steps so as to not move too fast. Her face was as blank as a stone slab, making it impossible for Leon to read and causing him to worry about what she was going to do, though he stopped wondering when she stopped inches away from his face. He was certain that she was going to smile at him, then slap him silly for looking at her breasts. He braced himself, but it wasn't necessary. Instead of slapping him, she gently kissed him on the cheek and whispered into his ear, "I may be your sister, but I'm your sexy sister, and don't forget it."

"Yeah, I won't," Leon said as Violet walked out of the room. He turned around and looked out the window at the beach. Three thoughts were up front in his mind, pushing away any others that might have been there. The first was that Violet was strange. The second was that her breasts were rather large. The third was the question of why that conversation had begun in the first place. A fourth thought was added when he stuck his hands into his pockets.

_"She took my wallet."_

He flopped onto the bed, tired and aching for a good rest after everything that had gone down, hoping that he didn't wake up until the next morning.


End file.
